Surge recorder



? A l /r mw April 21, 1931. J, W, LEGG 1,801,775

SURQE REGKORDER /5 al 20 ll la :55:1 95:1: l2. 2014 al /6 WITNESSES:INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 21. 1931. J. w. LEG@ 1,801,775

SURGE RECORDER Filed Sept. 8, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fs- F- mm y 'E d Ne5 k l l O O l .l i l O l l l C O O O l l l O O O q 37 llllllilllflllullllllmmrnmwmmgmfmnmm.nlnmlmnmuulllllltl' "38 39 40INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 21, 1931 "o UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICEJQSEPH'W. LEGG, 0F WILKINSBBG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSEELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING -OOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLV'ANIAv sUnGERECORDER Application led September My invention` relates to electricalrecording-r devices and particularly to surge recorders of the staticorphoto-sensitive type in which av record of the characteristics of aAsurge or other transient is obtained through the instrumentality of aconducting electrode in engagement with a photo-sensitive surface, suchas a photographic film.

' Onel object of lmy invention is to provide 10 a device of thischaracter in which a dexim permit thel sensitive element or film to bereplaced.

` A further object of my invention is to yprovide an instrument having amovable recording element and means for effecting atime record uponthe-recording element.

- A further object of myy invention is to provide a surge recorder thatis operative over an extended period of time and that has means forrecording the general character of the weather or other vconditionsduring such period.

Another object of my invention is to provide a recording device thatwill eect an improved record of the conditions obtaining in anyelectrical transmission system and of other conditions related thereto.

Figure 1 of the accompanyingl drawings is a view, in cross-section, of asurge recorder constructed in accordance with my invention;

. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the instrument shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the instrument shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, withparts shown in 5 section in order to reveal the construction moreclearly;

Fig. 4 is a detail View of the arrangement for adjusting the amount ofexternal light that is permitted to affect the sensitized film;

8, 1924. Serial No. 736,412.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the adjusting knob having the timeindications marked thereon, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the record obtained by the recordinginstrument.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the recorder comprises electrodes 1cooperating With a sensitized film 2, such as the fiexible, sensitizedfilm of celluloid coated with emulf sion that is ordinarily used inphotographic Work. The electrodes 1 are mounted upon insulators 3, thatare, in turn, supported upon the light-proof casing a containing theelements of the recorder. The electrodes 1 are loosely supported in theinsulators 3 to permit a slight vertical movement thereof and areprovided with blunt points 5 en.- gaging the film 2. The film 2 iscarried upon two reels or cartridges 6 and 7 and'is supported inengagement with the electrodes 1 by a cylindrical drum 8 that is drivenat constant speed by clock-Work mechanism 9 through the shaft 27 and thegears 28 and 29. The drum 8 is grounded and is insulated from theelectrodes 1 by a cylinderl 10 of suitable insulating material.

By reason ofthe described relation of the electrodes 1 to thephoto-sensitive film 2 and the drum 8, a recordwill be produced upon thefilm in case a potential in excess of 2000 volts is applied to oneof theelectrodes. As pointed out in an article by J. F. Peters in theElectrical World for April 19, 19%, the record produced on thesensitized elev ment depends upon the intensity, polarity and durationof the applied voltage and is produced even though a voltage surge ortransient occurs that is of exceedingly brief duration. While it ispreferable to maintain the electrodes in Contact with the. sensitizedfilm, a record will also be produced if the electrodes and film arespaced apart.

It is essential that the film 2 lie smoothly over the drum 8 adjacentthe electrodes 1, and I have ensured this result by supporting the sameupon a cylindrical drum which presents av convex surface to theelectrodes.

The cartridges 6 and 7 containing the sensitized film are mounted upontrunnions ll resting in horizontal grooves 12v inl the sides of thecasing, as shownin 3. In the grooves 12 are also pivoted two 'idlerrollers 13, that are held inengagement with the film upon the cartridges6 and 7 by a iexible belt 14 consisting of a coiled steel spring.Attached to the two idler rollers 13 are two pulleys 15 and 16 forreceiving the belt 14E. The pulley 15 is larger than .the pulley 16 and,consequently, as the film isV used up and the cartridges 6 and 7 and therollers 13 rotate in the directions'shown in Fig.'1, the tension on thelower side of the belt 14 1s greater than the tension on its upper side.This condition results from the fact that, since all of the rollers areinV frictional rolling engagement, their peripheral velocities areequal, and the rollers 13 beingof equal diameters rotate Vat the samespeed. Therefore, the pulley 15, being larger than the -pulleyf16, hasthe greater peripheral velocity, and the belt 14 exerts i Va retardingeect on the pulley and the l in. the eectiveY diameters ol" oppositeeffect on the pulley 16. The result isY a constant tension'on the lilm'2for holding the samejtaut, regardless ofthe changes theV film cartridges6 and 7.V Y

When it is necessary to reload the recorder Y with a new film, the wingnuts 17 and 18 are unscrewed, and the top of thel casing 4 is removed.The cartridges 6'and 7` are `moved against the force of the Vspring beltlA'until the trunnions 11 vcoincide with the vertical slots 20,(see Fig.The cartridges may then be lifted vertically out ofthe-slots 2O andremoved, and an unex 'v vposed roll of film` substituted for the emptyspool. AAfter Vthe lm spools are removed, the pins 21 limit the inwardmovement of the'rollers 13 by engaging the trunnions on.

which said rollers are mounted.V

The periphery'of the insulating cylinderV 10 is provided with aplurality of equally spaced holes 22, as shown in .F ig. 2. Adjacentthese holes,inside of the cylinder 10, a

. small block or bead coated with a luminous VVequidistant holes, everyj In order to substance, such as luminous paint, Vis sup- Vported'upon asupporting arm 2li.l As the cylinder 8 rotates and carries thesensitized film past the electrodes 1, the luminous bead 23eflects arecord or" thezpositions'of the holes 2 2V with respect to the film. Asshown in Flg 6, the film, when developed, shows a series of dots25 whichserve to show the relative positions ofthe clockdriven drum 8 and thelm` 2. -Every sixth mark is of diier'ent configuration, Vso that thetime vwhen' surges occur :mayl bek more easily. de-

termined. The clock-work mechanism may be arranged to Vrotate the drumSionce in twenty-four hours and the periphery of the cylinder 10 isprovided with twenty-four j sixth one being elongated. j y Y permit thetime yof 'the occurrence of a surge to be determined from the film, thelm may be initially adjusted as follows: After the unexposed reel orcartridge 6 has been inserted in the instrument and the paper thatcomprises the outside of the cartridge partly unrolled and attached tothe empty cartridge 7, the cover 4 is replaced, thereby bringing thepoints 5` of the electrodes into engagement with the film paper. Theadjusting knob 26'that is carried by the shaft 27 of the drum-8 (Fig. 2)ismanipulated to disengage the gear 28 from the clock-work pinion 29.The'shaft 27 is` so mounted that a slight longitudinal v,movementagainst the biasing spring 30 effects disengagement of the gears 28 and29.

The adjusting knob 26 Ais-now turned' until the end of the film is movedunder the electrodes 1. Since'the point of attach' ment of the paper tothe film causes. an uneven spot at this point and aresulting movement ofthe electrodes 1, this point` may be readily noted. The adjusting -knob26 is then turned fartherguntil the time indicatedfwith reference tovone of Vthe longery marks on the knob (see Fig. 5) agrees withV theactual time when the instrument is to be reconnected in the circuit. Theadjusting knob 26 is then released, and the spring 30 effects theengagement of the gears 28 and 29, so that additional movement of thefilm is lunder the control of the clock-work driving mechanism.

The positions of the luminous bead 23 andthe holes 22 are so'relatedtothe gradua-A tions of the adjusting knob 26 thatV the resulting recordupon the film 2 will show.

when the surges Voccur that are recorded upon the film. Thus, if thefirst Vmarkf32 l represents 12:00`oclock midnight,V a surge recorddirectly opposite this mark. is produced at this time.v .Inasmuch astheensu-v the aperture 33 is a rotatable screw or pin 34 having anobliqueend 35 coated with white paint or other light-refiecting'material. Avertical opening 36 extends from'the an additional record oblique end ofthe screw 3% abovethe end of the film-supporting drum 10. In accordancewith the vamount of light transmitted through the restricted aperturev33, as" the cylinder 10 is rotated, a variable record is made on thephotographic film, as shown .at 37 in Fig. 6. The amount-oflightfreiected upon the film may be varied to meet varyingconditions, such as a change from an indoor to an outdoor installationof the instrument, by turning the screw 34.

The light band produced on the iilm aids in fixing the time representedby the marks 25; i. e., it shows Whether they are recorded at night orin the daytime. Thus, the absence of any record at the point 38indicates that it was during the night that such portion of the film wasadjacent th-e opening 36. The commencement of a record at a point 39indicates that the time that such part of the film was exposed to theaperture was at daybreak. When the increasing intensity of the record isinterrupted, as at the point 40, it indicates that the light transmittedthrough the aperture 33 was reduced and, therefore, that the weatherchanged from clear to cloudy weather. The presence upon the ilm of a.surge record 41 at this point would indicate that a storm has arisenduring which a lightning discharge caused a surge upon the circuit towhich the instrument was connected.

The instrument may be connected in any suitable manner to a circuit thatis subject to abnormal surges of current. In order to eifect a record ofa surge, it is necessary to impress a voltage of from 2000 to 15000volts between one of the electrodes 1 and the grounded cylinder 8. Incase higher Voltages are encountered, a condenser multiplier may beinserted between the electrodes 1 and the circuit, las described in theabovementioned article by Peters.

While I have shown a preferred form of my invention in order that theoperation thereof may be clearly understood, I do not consider that itis limited to the precise form shown and described and I do not wish itto be limited in scope except as limitations may be imposed by theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrical instrument comprising a fiexible strip ofsensitizedfilm, a conducting member having a convex surface for supporting thesame, and a conducting electrode in engagement with said iilm andco-operative with the conducting supporting member, when properlyconnected to an external circuit to establish'an electrostatic stressacross the ilm to influence it upon the occurrence of a surge in thecircuit.

2. An instrument for recording surges comprising a rotatable elementembodying a metallic cylinder, a flexible recording element supportedthereby, and a. metallic electrode engaging the recording element andcooperative with the rotatable element to establish an electrostaticstress upon the occurrence of a surge condition in an electric circuitto which the instrument is connected, to influence the recording elementin accordance with the nature of the surge.

, nected, to influence the recording element in accordance with thenature of the surge, and means for moving the recording element betweenthe electrode and the rotatable element.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th dayof August,

JOSEPH W. LEGG.

